Kerner Smith, CPWA®

A founding partner of the Altera Wealth Management Group. Robin Krasny works with multi-generational families, private equity and hedge fund partners, corporate executives and not-for-profit organizations.

Robin has been recognized by Barron’s magazine as a “Top 100 Female Financial Advisor” for each of the past five years, most recently in 2022. Forbes honored her as a Top Woman Advisor in 2019 and 2020, and as a Best in State of New York Wealth Advisor in 2020. Robin has also been a member of Morgan Stanley’s Chairman’s or President’s Council since 2016.

Drawing on nearly 40 years of diverse financial markets experience, Robin is responsible for creating customized investment portfolios for the Altera Wealth Management Group’s clients. She has earned the designation of Senior Portfolio Manager and is responsible for managing the team’s stock portfolios.

Robin spent the first half of her career working in the institutional markets, based in New York and London. She began with Morgan Stanley in fixed-income sales and later moved to Oppenheimer and Co. to focus on emerging markets equities. In 2000, Robin made a millennial career change and began working with private clients. Along with Mark Lewis, she founded the Altera Wealth Management Group (formerly KL Wealth Management Group) at UBS in 2004. Robin and Mark moved the team to Smith Barney (now Morgan Stanley) in 2011.

Active with a number of not-for-profit organizations, she serves as a board member for Prep for Prep, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Women in Leadership initiative at Princeton University. Robin has hired and mentored Prep for Prep interns every summer since 2004.

Robin graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. and from Harvard Business School with an MBA. She is an avid annual attendee of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and maintains homes in New York City and Dunewood, Fire Island.

2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 Barron's Top 100 Financial Advisors (formerly referred to as Barron's Top 1,000 Financial Advisors: State-by-State)
Source: Barrons.com (Awarded 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022). Data compiled by Barron's based on 12-month period concluding in Dec of the year prior to the issuance of the award.

2019, 2020 Forbes America's Top Women Wealth Advisors & Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-In- State (formerly referred to as Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors, Forbes America's Top Women Wealth Advisors)
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2019, 2020). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on 12-month time period concluding in Sept of year prior to the issuance of the award.

​Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded Jan 2020) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on time period from 6/30/18 - 6/30/19.

A founding partner of the Altera Wealth Management Group, Mark Lewis works with an affluent clientele of multi-generational families, private equity and hedge fund partners, corporate executives, professionals within the sports and entertainment industry and not-for-profit organizations.

Over the course of his 20-year wealth management career, Mark has received widespread recognition within the firm and the financial services industry. He was named to Forbes’ Magazine Best in State of New York Wealth Advisor in 2020-2022. Mark has been a member of Morgan Stanley’s President’s Council since 2016, and is part of a select group of Morgan Stanley Advisors who has earned the designation of Global Sports and Entertainment Director. He is regularly asked to participate in pilot programs for Morgan Stanley’s banking, risk and technical initiatives.

Mark is responsible for all operational aspects of the Altera Wealth Management Group. As Chief Operating Officer for the team, Mark oversees the due diligence, asset allocation and manager selection process. Under Mark’s leadership, the Altera Wealth Management Group has built a proprietary platform that can be customized to help meet the needs of each client’s unique situation.

Mark began his career as a financial analyst and portfolio accountant for CMS Financial Services (now Convergent Wealth Advisors) in Washington, D.C. He joined CIBC Oppenheimer in 2000 before moving to Paine Webber (later UBS) in 2001. Along with Robin Krasny, Mark founded the Altera Wealth Management Group (formerly KL Wealth Management Group) in 2004.

Mark has served on the Manhattan Leadership Council of The American Cancer Society since 2006 and is a member of Prep for Prep’s Associates Council. He has hired and mentored Prep for Prep interns every summer since 2004.

Mark graduated from The American University in Washington, D.C. with a B.S. in Business Administration and a concentration in Finance. A semi-retired basketball player and a little league coach, Mark lives in New York City with his wife Sara, son Dylan, and daughter Sloane.

2020, 2021, 2022 Forbes Best-In- State Wealth Advisors
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded 2020, 2021, 2022). Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based 12-month time period concluding in June of year prior to the issuance of the award.

Jill Schildkraut-Katz is a Managing Director and Partner in the Altera Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley. She provides comprehensive wealth management services to multi-generational families, private equity and hedge fund partners, corporate executives and not-for-profit organizations, helping them to achieve their investment, wealth transfer and philanthropic goals. She also works with private business owners on pre-transaction planning, and with financial professionals on strategies to complement their core business exposure. Jill strategically helps advise clients on how to structure their personal balance sheets utilizing investments, lending solutions and estate planning strategies.

Jill has over 30 years of experience working in private wealth management, banking and investment banking in New York and London. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 2017, she spent seven years as a Senior Advisor and Team Lead at the J.P. Morgan Private Bank and almost 14 years at Merrill Lynch in a variety of roles including leading a global capital markets solutions group.

In 2023, Jill was recognized as a MAKER at Morgan Stanley—an initiative dedicated to celebrating women and men who are culture carriers, groundbreakers, innovators and champions of women’s achievement. Jill serves as President Emeritus of Women In Wealth: LIFT, an advocacy and business development network of Morgan Stanley women from the NY-Metro Region dedicated to supporting peers to help achieve business success and realize meaningful connections with their clients. While at Merrill Lynch, Jill was appointed to the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Counsel, was a founding member and Co-Head of the Global Markets and Investment Banking Women’s Leadership Counsel and was a recipient of the Leadership in Diversity award.

Jill has been a member of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue Board of Trustees, the UJA Women’s Executive Circle, the Feminist Institute Advisory Board and both the Horace Mann School and Trevor Day School Parents’ Association Executive Boards. She is a two-time participant in the Covenant House Sleep Out to raise money and awareness for the homeless and vulnerable youths.

Jill graduated from The University of Michigan Ross School of Business with a BBA in Finance and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with an MBA in Finance. She lives in New York City with her husband Steve, son Ethan, daughter Sydney and puppy Chloe.

In 2023, the Altera Wealth Management Group was named to the list of Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams.

Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams
Source: Forbes.com (Awarded Jan 2023) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on time period from 3/31/21-3/31/22.

Stephen Gadze is a Financial Advisor for the Altera Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley. He primarily provides comprehensive wealth solutions to multi-generational families - private equity, venture capital and hedge fund partners - corporate executives - and professionals in the sports and entertainment industry. As a Financial Planning Specialist, he takes pride in helping his clients navigate their unique situations by implementing a holistic wealth plan that involves identifying goals, managing risk and conducting systematic reviews for ongoing monitoring. His understanding of tax efficient investing, portfolio construction and alternative investments factor into to his clients long-term success in their bespoke plan.

Stephen’s career began at Morgan Stanley in 2015 while he attended Fairfield University and received one of their coveted internship positions. Following his internship, he gained institutional sales experience at Russell Investments as a Summer Analyst. He eventually transitioned back to the retail side of finance to pursue his passion for working with private and corporate clients on a more personal level. Over the past 5 years, Stephen has worked as an Associate for various Morgan Stanley advisors where he’s demonstrated his knowledge and industry experience, and leveraged Morgan Stanley’s invaluable resources to support high net worth and ultra-high net worth clientele.

A dual citizen, having grown up in a first-generation Croatian American household, Stephen truly understands the importance of establishing a solid foundation to allow for current generations to thrive and to preserve wealth for future generations to come. Intertwining his family values and professional life, Stephen helps families communicate about money and matter that are important to them in order to help them meet their needs and goals. Naturally a leader and team player, he truly believes in success by collaboration. Ultimately, in his role as a Financial Advisor, he receives great satisfaction by means of surrounding himself with influential individuals in order to create opportunities for his clients.

Stephen attended the Dolan School of Business at Fairfield University where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Finance with concentrations in Economics and Information Systems. A former 4 year NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer player, he still enjoys playing soccer at a “competitive” amateur level. More recently he has added golf and Muay Thai to his active hobby list. He participates in many initiatives in the Croatian American and Fairfield University communities.

Iris has worked in the financial services industry for over 27 years. She joined Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in May of 2016 as a Client Service Professional where she focused on the Ultra High Net worth market. After completing the firm’s Leadership Readiness program, Iris became the Business Service Manager for our 399 Park Avenue Complex, the firm’s Flagship Complex. As the Business Service Manager, Iris worked closely with Complex Management to supervise, manage and support all service functions, partnering with leading teams and advisors in both domestic and international markets.

Iris earned her degree in Business Management from Borough of Manhattan Community College. She speaks English and Spanish and holds the following FINRA licenses: Series 7, 63, 24, 9, 10, 66, and 3. She resides in New Jersey with her husband and three children.

Iris Gomez, our team Group Director, has forged a direct relationship with a rural school district in the Dominican Republic. She organizes an annual drive to personally deliver needed books, school supplies, arts and educational games. In addition, she has hosted a celebration at the school to celebrate with the students and the members of the community.

Drawing on 17 years of experience in the financial services industry, Rachel Yadao provides operational and service support to the team’s Advisors and clients. Her responsibilities include opening new accounts and handling account transfers, foreign currency transactions, managed account operations and credit line accounts. Rachel joined the team at UBS Financial Services in 2008 and moved with them to Morgan Stanley in 2011. Prior to working at UBS, she spent four years working at Oppenheimer as a Registered Sales Assistant.

Rachel graduated from Bernard M. Baruch College with a BBA in Finance, and has earned Series 3, 7 and 66 licenses. She lives in Queens, NY and has two children, Matthew and Amia.

David Noveck provides analytical support to the team’s Advisors by monitoring market conditions, maintaining investment models, and reviewing client allocations. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 2016, David worked at Wells Fargo Advisors as a Registered Client Associate for two years.

David completed his MBA at NYU stern School of Business in Spring 2020 with dual specializations in Quantitative and Corporate Finance. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith Schools of Business in 2013. David holds Series 7 and 66 licenses. Originally a New Jersey native, he now lives in Murray Hill, Manhattan.

Olesya provides client and portfolio support to Altera Wealth Management Group’s Advisors. She performs investment research and portfolio holdings review, analyzes market conditions and trends, as well as aggregates key metrics in relation to client investment objectives.

Before joining Altera in 2022, Olesya was a Manager with Morgan Stanley Finance division since 2017 focusing on accounting, reporting, and analysis of Private Equity. She examined key metrics of fund performance based on factors such as sector, geographic location, and leverage level. Additionally, Olesya maintained a financial model for Profit and Loss ("PnL") allocation and conducted sensitivity analysis of leveraged funds to assess the impact of adverse market conditions. Further, she analyzed Collaterized Loan Obligations PnL in response to changes in credit markets and interest rate movements.

Olesya holds a CFA charter, a CPA license, (Olesya does not offer accounting or tax advise in her current role with Morgan Stanley) and completed her MBA at Rutgers Business School and her Bachelor’s at Baruch College.

In her free time, Olesya enjoys movies and radio shows from the 30s and 40s and is a self-described old soul.

Emma Cohen is a Registered Client Service Associate for The Altera Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley. She began her career as an intern with Morgan Stanley, which transitioned into a permanent role at the firm. Emma joined the Altera Wealth Management Group in 2022 and has proved to be an excellent resource for clients and the other members of the team. She is highly organized and is able to anticipate a client’s needs. Emma works closely with the other members of the Altera team and has become an invaluable member of the group.

Emma was born and raised in a multi-generational house in Scarsdale, New York. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science and since graduating she has moved back to New York.

Emma loves to spend time with her family and feels very lucky to have such a close-knit family. In her free time she enjoys to travel, try new food, and to knit with her grandmother. Emma is an avid reader and always looking for book recommendations. She also enjoys puzzles and is yet to find one she can't complete. Emma has a passion for helping her community and volunteers at a local shelter where she helps foster dogs in need.